EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN

PAKISTAN






PREPARED BY: YUSRA OBAID
CLASS: B.S.P.A 3
rd
YEAR
ROLL #: 60

SUBMITTED TO: SIR MOAZZAM




Contents
CLIMATE: .................................................................................................................................................. 3
CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGES: ........................................................................................................... 4
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE: ............................................................................................................ 6
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN PAKISTAN ................................................................................... 10
PAKISTAN WEATHER AND CLIMATE: ...................................................................................................... 10
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT.10
SOCIAL IMPACT..12
ECONOMIC IMPACT.13
CONCLUSION14




CLIMATE:
The climate is defined as the average weather in a place over more than thirty years. To describe the
climate of a place, people often tell what the temperatures are like over the seasons, how windy it is,
and how much rain or snow falls. The climate of a region depends on many factors including the
amount of sunlight it receives, its height above sea level, the shape of the land, and how close it is to
the oceans.
Global climate is a description of climate of a planet as a whole, with all the regional differences
averaged. Overall, global climate depends on the amount of energy received by the sun and the
amount of energy that is trapped in the system. These amounts are different for different planets.
Scientists who study earths climate and climate change study the factors that affect the climate of our
whole planet.

While the weather can change in just a few hours, climate changes over longer timeframes. Climate
events happen over several years, small scale fluctuations happen over decades, and larger climate
changes happen over hundreds and thousands of years. Today, climates are changing. Our earth is
warming more quickly than it has in the past according to the research of scientists. Hot summer days
may be quite typical of climates in many regions of the world, but global warming is causing earths
average global temperature to increase. The amount of solar radiations, the chemistry of the
atmosphere, clouds, and the biosphere all affect earths climate.



CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGES:


GREEN HOUSE EFFECT:
A layer of greenhouse gases primarily carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide act as a thermal
blanket for the Earth, absorbing heat and warming the surface to a life-supporting average of 59
degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius).




Most scientists agree the main cause of the current global warming trend is human expansion of the
"greenhouse effect" -- warming those results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth
toward space.
Certain gases in the atmosphere behave like the glass on a greenhouse, allowing sunlight to enter, but
blocking heat from escaping. Long-lived gases, remaining semi-permanently in the atmosphere, which
do not respond physically or chemically to changes in temperature, are described as "forcing" climate
change whereas gases, such as water, which respond physically or chemically to changes in temperature
are seen as "feedbacks."
Gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect include:

On Earth, human activities are changing the natural greenhouse. Over the last century the burning of
fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). This
happens because the coal or oil burning process combines carbon with oxygen in the air to make CO2.
To a lesser extent, the clearing of land for agriculture, industry, and other human activities have
increased concentrations of greenhouse gases.



THE ROLE OF HUMAN ACTIVITY:
In its recently released Fourth Assessment Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a
group of 1,300 independent scientific experts from countries all over the world under the auspices of the
United Nations, concluded there's a more than 90 percent probability that human activities over the
past 250 years have warmed our planet.
The industrial activities that our modern civilization depends upon have raised atmospheric carbon
dioxide levels from 280 parts per million to 379 parts per million in the last 150 years. The panel also
concluded there's a better than 90 percent probability that human-produced greenhouse gases such as
carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have caused much of the observed increase in Earth's
temperatures over the past 50 years.
They said the rate of increase in global warming due to these gases is very likely to be unprecedented
within the past 10,000 years or more.
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE:

SEA LEVEL IS RISING.
During the 20th century, sea level rose about 15 cm (6 inches) due to melting glacier ice
and expansion of warmer seawater. Models predict that sea level may rise as much as 59 cm (23
inches) during the 21st Century, threatening coastal communities, wetlands, and coral reefs.



ARCTIC SEA ICE IS MELTING.
The arctic sea ice is melting and its thickness is almost half now than it was in 1950. It can cause
changes in ocean circulation.

GLACIERS ARE MELTING.
Over the past 100 years, mountain glaciers in all areas of the world have decreased in size and so
has the amount of permafrost in the Arctic. Greenlands too.



SEA-SURFACE TEMPERATURES ARE RISING.
Warmer waters in the shallow oceans have contributed to the death of about a quarter of the
world's coral reefs in the last few decades. Many of the coral animals died after weakened by
bleaching, a process tied to warmed waters.
HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLOODS:
In some areas there is heavy rainfall because of warm temperature which can cause flooding.

DROUGHT IS INCREASING TREMENDOUSLY.
Higher temperatures cause a higher rate of evaporation and more droughts in some areas of the
world.



ECOSYSTEMS ARE CHANGING.
As temperatures warm, species may either move to a cooler habitat or die. Species that are
particularly vulnerable include endangered species, reefs, and polar animals. Warming has also
caused changes in the timing of spring events and the length of the growing season.
HEAT WAVES BECOME FREQUENT:
It is probable that heat waves have become more common in more areas of the world.
HUMAN HEALTH IS AFFECTING BY HIGH TEMPRATURE:
There have been more deaths due to heat waves and more allergy attacks as the pollen season
grows longer. There have also been some changes in the ranges of animals that carry disease like
mosquitoes.
SEAWATER IS BECOMING MORE ACIDIC.
Carbon dioxide dissolving into the oceans is making seawater more acidic. There could be impacts
on coral reefs and other marine life.






EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN PAKISTAN
PAKISTAN WEATHER AND CLIMATE:

Pakistan has three seasons: winter (November to March) is warm and cooled by sea breezes on the
coast; summer (April to July) has extreme temperatures and the monsoon season (July to September)
has the highest rainfall on the hills. Karachi has little rain. The best time to visit southern Pakistan is


between November and March, when the days are cool and clear. The best time to visit northern
Pakistan is from April to October.
Pakistan is responsible for only a small fraction of global warming but is among the countries that will
be hit hardest by the effects of climate change. Pakistan is facing the adverse impacts of climate
change including social, environmental and economic impacts. Key sectors of Pakistan, affected by
climate change, included water resources, agriculture, biodiversity, livestock, energy sector, forest,
coastal zones and extreme events disrupting nature.
Climatic changes are likely to exacerbate this trend. Water supply, already a serious concern in many
parts of the country, will decline dramatically, affecting food production. Export industries such as
fisheries will also be affected, while coastal areas risk being inundated, flooding the homes of millions of
people living in low-lying areas. Although Pakistan produces minimal chlorofluorocarbons and emits
little sulphur dioxide, thus making a negligible contribution to ozone depletion and acid rain, it will
suffer disproportionately from climate change and other global environmental problems.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS:


The weather of Pakistan becomes hotter than the past. The summer season remains for longer period
of time than winter.
Heat waves are more frequently enter in the land areas like Karachi.
Incidences, due to high sea level are also increased due to climate change. The Hunza lake water level
is also rising due to climate change.


Pakistan contributes just one-35th of the worlds carbon dioxide emissions but temperatures in the
countrys coastal areas have risen since the early 1900s by 0.6 to 1 degree Celsius.
Precipitation has decreased 10 to 15 percent in the coastal belt and hyper-arid plains over the last 40
years, while summer and winter rains have increased in northern Pakistan which would lead to an
increase of atmospheric humidity and the duration of the wet seasons. Combined with higher
temperatures, these could favor the development of fungal diseases. Similarly, because of higher
temperatures and humidity, there could be an increased pressure from insects and disease vectors. In
most areas, rainfall patterns have become very erratic, making it difficult for communities to predict
local rainfall patterns.
The duration of the cropping period has shrunk perceptibly in southern Punjab and Balochistan, with a
forward shift in sowing time and an earlier harvest.
This apart, droughts in 1999 and 2000 have caused sharp declines in water tables and dried up
wetlands, severely degrading ecosystems.
Traditional coping mechanisms used to deal with water shortages; declines in fish catch; and reduced
agricultural produce are no longer enough to counter the immense impact of climate change.
The health of millions would be affected with diarrheal diseases associated with floods and drought
becoming more prevalent.
Freshwater availability projected to decrease in Central, South, East and Southeast Asia by the 2050s
and Pakistan is included in Central Asia; coastal areas will be at risk due to increased flooding; death
rate from disease associated with floods and droughts expected to rise in some region.
In Pakistan a number of native species of plants and animals are facing extermination as a result of
climate change. Rising sea levels, and accelerated melting of glaciers in the Himalayas are threatening
the natural habitat of rare animals such as the Markhor and Ibex. In the plains the Blind Dolphin is
threatened by extinction due to declining water levels in the Indus River. While along the coastal areas
rare coral reefs which sustain hundreds of species of marine life are threatened as a direct result of
increased surface temperatures.
Average crop yield is expected to drop down to 50% in Pakistan because of climate change. The
quality of crops also being affected by the increasing temperature and CO2, e.g. rice; For rice, the
amylase content of the grain--a major determinant of cooking quality--is increased under elevated
CO2.
Studies have shown that higher CO2 levels lead to reduced plant uptake of nitrogen (and a smaller
number showing the same for trace elements such as zinc) resulting in crops with lower nutritional
value.


The warmer atmospheric temperatures observed over the past decades are expected to lead to a more
vigorous hydrological cycle, including more extreme rainfall events. Erosion and soil degradation is
more likely to occur. Soil fertility would also be affected by global warming. However, because the
ratio of carbon to nitrogen is a constant, a doubling of carbon is likely to imply a higher storage
of nitrogen in soils as nitrates, thus providing higher fertilizing elements for plants, providing better
yields. The average needs for nitrogen could decrease, and give the opportunity of changing often
costly fertilization strategies.
Pakistans eco system has suffered greatly due to climatic change; one such example is that of Keti
Bandar; one of the richest port in the region of the coastal belt of Pakistan that lost privileges of being
at some point in time. The former port facilities bordered both shores of the Indus River delta but have
become submerged as a result of coastal erosion, leaving only a thin, 2km long isthmus by way of a
land bridge to the mainland . There was a time when it was known to be an area thriving on
mangroves ecosystem, rich with agriculture and boasting a busy seaport. Now the landscape is barren
and thatched houses dotted on mudflats. Water logging and salinity is its major problem and the
intruding sea has almost eaten up the villages. Thousands of peasant families and fisher folk
community already had to migrate to other areas in search of livelihood.


SOCIAL IMPACTS:
When it comes to climate change population does matter, particularly for countries like Pakistan with
an annual growth rate of 2.69 percent, will be the sixth most populous country. As poor families
struggle to survive, environmental degradation is going to be more pervasive. Long-term sustainable
development goals are disregarded in favor of immediate subsistence needs, leaving vulnerable
communities specially women at the mercy of climate. Increased use of wood for fuel, abusive use of
land and water resources, in the form of overgrazing, over fishing, depletion of fresh water and
desertification- are common in rural areas of Pakistan.

Although most societies have a long history of adapting to the impacts of weather and climate, climate
change as we are experiencing it today poses new risks that will require new investments in adaptive
responses.
Intensifying rural poverty is likely to increase internal migration as well as migration to other countries.
Given the enormity of the impact, adaptation and mitigation measures are critically important.



The behavior of people is become hot as well; the anger of the people is increased. Mostly people react
very harsh on little issues.
The clothing trend of the society also has changed. The use of warm clothes is almost finished in some
areas of Pakistan like Karachi because the winter season is for short period of time and also there is not
so cold weather even in winter.
ECONOMIC IMPACTS:

The change in climate also impacts economy of the country. The impacts of climate change in Pakistan
economy are as follows:
The cost of energy is increased as the use of energy because of rising temperature has increased. The
energy is also depleted in Pakistan so it costs more.
As the chances of natural disasters have increased it also impacts economy because natural disasters
bring damages in area with them. So the costs of reconstruction would impact economy.
The impact of climate change on agriculture is not good for Pakistan economy as the economy of
Pakistan based on agriculture 90%. The low quality of crops will affect the export activities of Pakistan


and the delay in crops to be prepared would also impact economy as it is based on agriculture so it
cant afford the delay. Also the food production is decreasing because of climate change and it will
impact Pakistan economy badly.
As the climate change is affecting the health of public so the cost of public health is also increasing
which increasing the burden on economy.
The hotter weather is also affecting the tourist activities in Pakistan as most of the tourist comes from
European countries and they are not used to of hot weather.
CONCLUSION:
To control the rapidly changing climate, it is responsibility of government as well as individuals to hand
in the effort to control the climate change.
The use of coal and other fossil fuels should be minimized and their alternative should use to satisfy the
need. The glacier and rain water should be stored properly for the water need as water recourse is
being scarce.
All must have to take measures to control the climate as it is necessary for healthy survival of human
population.